TetherGeist

Tethergeist is a great precision platformer. A flat narrative and some small visual bugs somewhat muddy the waters, but it's filled with fresh ideas. The tether mechanic at its core tests your reflexes and brains in equal measure, and I found myself always on the hunt for the Atropa Blossoms. Between those levels, I found a lot of fun in interacting with villagers across the world.Perfectly paced, no one mechanic overstays its welcome, and it felt like it ended at the perfect time, around 10 hours in length. I'm not a completionist, but I can definitely see myself picking away at some collectibles. And if they ever drop a challenge level pack, testing my knowledge of all the tethers? I'll be there day one.

One of my only complaints is that sometimes the level of precision the game requires can veer into feeling unfair, but fortunately those moments aren't very common, and with the frequency of checkpoints the frustration is kept to a minimum. As a massive fan of Celeste, I believe TetherGeist earned the comparison the developers made to it, but more than that it stands on its own as one of the best precision platformers I've played on Switch or elsewhere. It takes a unique gameplay hook and finds a lot of interesting ways to iterate on it, and I highly recommend it to platformer fans who don't mind a bit of challenge.

After completing the journey, my save file in TetherGeist shows almost exactly ten hours of playtime. Ten hours in which I bounced through the seven chapters and steadily sharpened my abilities as a shaman. The individual sections are concise and consistently motivating, and thanks to the different traversal abilities, the game requires not only precise execution but also careful planning to work out the correct sequence of actions. It makes for a very successful combination—and definitely one well worth recommending.

TetherGeist ended up being a really pleasant surprise. It takes a genre that can sometimes lean too heavily into frustration and balances it with thoughtful storytelling, approachable checkpointing and movement mechanics that feel rewarding to master. Now, make no mistake, this is still a demanding precision platformer. If games in this style have never appealed to you before, I do not think TetherGeist is suddenly going to convert you overnight. There were certainly moments where I felt my patience being tested, especially during some of the more complicated late-game sections. But when the game finds its rhythm, it becomes incredibly satisfying. The movement feels great, the world has warmth to it, and Mae’s journey is genuinely easy to root for. If you enjoy precision platformers, especially games in the same family as Celeste, then TetherGeist is absolutely worth checking out. And even if you are normally a bit hesitant with this genre, like I am, there is still a good chance this one might pull you into its flow state too.

Taking the side-scrolling precision platformer and adding a variety of traversal skills to the mix amps up the difficulty and variety, so be ready for some frustrations

Fast-paced and challenging 2D platformer on Switch

TetherGeist is a remarkably inventive precision platformer, full of brilliant ideas and bursting with kinetic energy. Its main mechanic is a delight to use, and things are kept fresh throughout the runtime with creative new ways to swoop, swing and swerve your way from left to right. It’s unfortunate that the storytelling and writing fail to fulfil the story’s full potential, but that doesn’t stop this being one of the very best indie platformers I’ve ever played. I recommend you tether yourself to this game as soon as you can, especially if you’re a fan of the genre.

TetherGeist is a challenging precision platformer with a solid narrative. While at times a little too difficult, its core journey is worth experiencing to see Mae's interactions with various people in the world.

TetherGeist is the best precision platformer I've played since Celeste, with some seriously unique movement mechanics and perfect controls.

Precision platformers are a niche and since 2018, there hasn’t been anything like Celeste. A punishing, precision platformer that pushing your limits, juxtaposed with a wholesome style and story. TetherGeist proudly wears its inspiration on its sleeve and while it failed to capture the same levels of emotion, it’s unique tether gameplay, hyper responsive controls, gorgeous pixel art, nearly perfect difficulty curve and variety that always kept you at the edge of your comfort zone make TetherGeist the easy recommendation for someone looking for an experience like Celeste or the next great precision platformer.